


What comes next

by Skitzer1985



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24911233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skitzer1985/pseuds/Skitzer1985
Summary: Jeff attends a funeral.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	What comes next

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any characters in this story.

Jeff stood over her grave. He had been unable to move from beside it since the Funeral began, and he had been unable to move away from beside it when everyone slowly walked away. He wasn’t even looking at the mount of dirt in front of him, but he wasn’t looking at anything else. That’s all he was able to see. He doesn’t know how long he stood there for. There were no signs, one day she was there, the next she wasn’t. He had only spoken to her just the other day over the phone, and they were making plans for the weekend when he was going to be nearby. He continued to stand there, thinking of the future they could have had. He continued to stand there, staring at the grave. It had been a week now since he had gotten the call from the hospital. It had been a week since he skipped out on his last class. He still had no desire to go back there. He continues to stand there. Thinking of the time they spent together. Thinking of the time they could have spent together. He continues to stand there, still not noticing the passing of time, the setting of the sun.

The first thing he noticed was the soft fingers weaving between his. He notices the gentle squeeze in the soft hand in his. He doesn’t need to look to his left to know who it is. He would recognize the feel of her hands anywhere. He feels her burrow into his side, gripping just up his arm, just below the elbow. He continues to stare at the grave. He knows a headstone was placed yesterday. He finally looks up from the grave at the headstone of Doreen Winger Nee Fitzgerald. He raises his arm and wraps it around the shoulders of Annie Edison. He hadn’t asked for her to come today, hadn’t even spoken to her, but he knew she would. He knew she would drop everything in DC to come and be at his side. She stood there, for as long as he need to, just being there for him when he needed her was enough. He started to pull away when the sun had finally gone down, and she held on to his hand as they walked away.

The drive back to his apartment was in a comfortable silence, her hand still weaved with his in the center console of his car. They walked up to his apartment, hands still entwined as he unlocked the door. Her hand left his for a second as she slipped her heels off. He walked around into the kitchen, pouring himself a drink and walking to the couch. She sat beside him, head leaning against his shoulder, just sitting in the silence, much like the rest of the afternoon. He slowly sipped his scotch, feeling the warmth of the scotch down his throat. He felt the warmth of Annie’s small body against his, just being close, giving him comfort. The night continued on, just sitting there in the silence. He notices that her breathing has become shallow and her head heavy against his chest. For the first time in a week, he smiles as he looks down and places a kiss on the crown of her head. He slowly moves out from under her, reaching down to pick her up and carry her to his bed. He tucked her and quietly leaves the room. He sits on the couch and stares into space.

In the morning, Annie wakes up, looking around the room and notices Jeff is not in the room. She moves out of the room, walking into the loungeroom. Jeff hasn’t left the couch all night, falling asleep on the cushions. The scotch glass sits half full on the coffee table in front of him. She moves into the kitchen, filling the coffee machine, preparing to make him some breakfast. She walks over to him to wake him. He has been crying while she was asleep, the tears still staining his shirt. Before he notices, it’s been a week since she came home that night. They have fallen into a routine, a routine that he very much needed. He still sleeps on the couch of a nighttime, allowing her to keep the bed. They still fall asleep in each other’s arms of a nighttime, and he still carries her to bed. He knows she’s still awake, and she knows he knows, but they both know this isn’t the time for them.

Time moves on and a week becomes a month. Their routine becomes more than what they thought. Two months to the day of the funeral, they share their first real kiss. It’s soft and tentative, neither of them sure how it will be received. They still take it slow, not wanting to push too fast. A month becomes two, and Annie relocates from DC to Denver, to be closer to Jeff. They go on their first date, nothing special, something light and fun, just enjoying spending time together. She meets him at his classroom, watching him finish his last class for the day, before going with him to a night playing mini golf, a drink at their favourite bar and a walk through the parks downtime. It’s a sweet night, both laughing more than they have months since she arrived. They go back to the apartment they both call home now. Three months later, they are on their third date, Jeff taking Annie taking to a nice restaurant. He realizes that even though his family has now left him, he’s always a family with him. Annie watches the past 3 months slide off his face. He looks at her, holding her hand. He looks at her, and smiles.

“I love you” she hears him say.

**Author's Note:**

> Made this up as a balance to my first one shot. I just wrote something, didn't edit it. Let me know what you think.


End file.
